Russian fighter Ayub Magomadov has opened up on what it is like to spar with Conor McGregor.

McGregor is preparing for his first UFC fight in almost two years against the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the Crumlin man had another Russian in Magomadov flown in from Moscow to spar with ahead of the October 6 bout.

Discussing sparring with the former two-weight champion, Magomadov told Russia Today: "What I can say is [McGregor] is a great, great professional, who can do anything.

"He is good in every aspect of the game.

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"For sure you have some areas where you can be called an expert. He is an expert in striking, but he has pretty good wrestling, he has really good BJJ [Brazilian jiu-jitsu]. He is a two-weight class world champion – what more can I say?

"He is a really solid brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, for sure. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can do that. Because he is a great champion. So he is working in every area, he has really big experience in every aspect of the game.

"His BJJ, what can I say – he is training in Gi and No Gi. In-between the fights he trains a lot in Gi. That means that you put really big attention to your ground game, when you train in a Gi. I think he is really really good in BJJ."

Looking ahead to the Las Vegas fight, Magomadov can't see it going the distance.

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He added: "I think if whoever wins (this fight) it won’t be a decision (victory)."

McGregor previously thanked the 29-year-old for coming to Ireland to spar.

He posted on Instagram a number of weeks ago: "I have true respect for the Vainakh soldier. Eye to eye respect.

"Always be aware that when respect is given out of fear, it is fake. It is the cowards safest first step towards treason. When land is on the line, there are no limits. So there must be no hesitation. Stand strong and stay ruthless!